Producer unknown to us
Stone money (rai)
Oceania, Micronesia, Karolinen, Yap Proper
Around 1900
Stone
Emil Hütter (Manager Jaluit Station)
Donation to the museum by Hütter in 1904
Mi 588
Stone money (rai) was the main currency on Yap until the end of the 19th century. Today, people living on the island still use stone money for important transactions, such as purchasing land. Without it, people consider significant exchanges as incomplete.
The Jaluit Company was a German colonial trade- and plantation company working in the Pacific region. On the Marshall Islands, they mainly operated coconut palm plantations. The German Reich transferred the administration of these “protectorates” in the Pacific Ocean south of the equator (1888–1906).
Emil Hütter was the manager of the company’s trading post on Jaluit. The museum purchased an extensive part of the Micronesia collections from employees of the Jaluit company. Hütter received a diploma for patrons of the museum, an appreciation of his collecting activity that during his time significantly contributed to a person’s reputation.
Juliane Heinze